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In her 2023 book Democracy Awakening, historian and author Heather Cox Richardson asserts that Donald Trump has, for the first time in history, left the United States in real danger of becoming an authoritarian state. Although Americans may fear that authoritarianism will arrive as part of a military invasion, many of the fascist regimes   that swept Europe in the years leading up to World War II were democratically elected. In the foreword, Richardson examines what protected the United States from authoritarianism in that period. Many of the same conditions that left Europe vulnerable to fascist takeover also existed in the United States, including economic depression and American Nazis claiming they represented “true Americanism.” However, the United States did not fall to fascism, and instead joined the Allies to fight a lengthy war to oppose fascist regimes. Richardson argues that what saved the United States in the 1940s was the ongoing struggle of marginalized people, who sought to attain the full equality promised in the Declaration of Independence. Authoritarian regimes rise by appealing to people who believe they have lost power, promising a return to a mythologized past of superior morality. However, struggles over Civil Rights and gender equality kept Americans focused on the notion of self-determination, protecting them from the false promises of fascism.

Read about the background of the author, blogger, and podcaster Heather Cox Richardson.

In the book’s first section, Richardson describes the development of the American concept of movement conservatism. The traditional definition of “conservative” political philosophy is one that prioritizes the stability of government and the avoidance of ideology. By contrast, movement conservatism has a specific ideology that prioritizes radical change. According to Richardson, movement conservatism aims to convince voters to oppose federal spending and business regulation, despite that such policies improved the lives of ordinary Americans for the first half of the 20th century. During this period of U.S. history, under the so-called “liberal consensus” (a bipartisan agreement about the benefits of strong government), politicians emphasized that government could improve the lives of citizens. Richardson argues that the reforms and social programs President Franklin Delano Roosevelt instituted under the New Deal rescued the country from the Great Depression and led to widespread prosperity following World War II. 

Despite this, Richardson asserts that anti-Black Southern Democrats joined forces with anti-regulation Republicans to oppose the New Deal and, later, similar federal programs. They advocated for states’ rights and an end to social welfare programs. According to Richardson, this coalition, who called themselves conservatives, used divisive tactics to create fear and outrage. She also asserts that they turned Americans against their own interests by claiming that marginalized groups were gaining undeserved benefits and power. In Richardson’s view, conservatives also worked to undermine democratic systems by restricting the voting powers and constitutional rights of marginalized people.

Read an important quote about the dangers that mythologizing history can pose to democracy.

Part 2 of Democracy Awakening focuses on Richardson’s analysis of Trump as a potential dictator who was barely stopped himself from seizing absolute power. She sees the press as encouraging Trump’s rise, as it was naïve to the ways authoritarians manipulate information and openly lie in order to gain and maintain power. She also sees Congressional Republicans as culpable, claiming that they continually allowed Trump’s corruption even in the face of evidence of his collusion with foreign governments. Richardson argues that Trump won the 2016 election thanks to divisive rhetoric, Russian interference, and promises of a return to a mythologized history of self-reliant white men. Like many authoritarians, he filled government posts with family members and loyalists, forcing out qualified non-partisan civil servants. Richardson argues that Trump attempted to create an army to keep him in power by trying to leverage the law enforcement arms of federal agencies under his executive control, including the FBI, the Secret Service, and the DEA. In addition, he called on violent, right-wing organizations including the Proud Boys to support his attempts to stay in power. Richardson argues that Trump’s attempted coup on January 6, 2021, failed in part because the armed services refused to abandon their duty to the nation. While Trump did not succeed in stealing the 2020 election, Richardson believes he did succeed in finally destroying the liberal consensus.

Read about the book’s Main Idea #2: Movement conservatism can lead to authoritarianism.

Richardson believes that the Founders’ ideals are strong enough to bring the country back from the brink of authoritarianism and uses historical precedent to support her argument. In the first part of the 19th century, politicians in favor of states’ rights passed laws that gave poor white men land belonging to Indigenous people. By the 1850s, these politicians revised U.S. history, claiming that states’ rights and local rule had been the Founders’ intent. However, the Civil War and Reconstruction period reestablished the power of the federal government to promote equality. Richardson further argues that, in the 20th century, the Progressive movement, women’s suffrage, and the ongoing fight for Black rights continued the push toward the equality described by the Founders. Although Richardson claims that movement conservatism’s efforts to destroy the liberal consensus prepared the path for Trump’s authoritarianism, President Biden has worked to reestablish democratic norms by saving the civil service from destruction, by investing in infrastructure, and by restoring normal relations with foreign powers. Richardson sees 2024 as both a historical moment and as a dangerous one, with a still-popular Trump running for president again, but she finds hope in Americans’ history of rising up to defend the Founders’ ideals of equality.

Read about the book’s Main Idea #1: The historical idea of equality in the United States supports inclusivity.

Previous section Part 3: Reclaiming America & Conclusion

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